DESCRIPTION: Fly me to the moon....Cessna Aircraft, a subsidiary of Textron, is one of the most famous names in small planes. The company manufactures business jets, utility turboprops, and small single-engine planes. Cessna, which is the fourth-largest maker of business jets in the world (behind Bombardier, Gulfstream, and Dassault), makes nine variations of its famous Citation jet. Its utility turboprop plane, the Caravan, has applications as a freight, bush, amphibious, and commercial (small connecting flights) airplane. Cessna's single-engine planes are used for personal and small-business purposes. Cessna also offers shared ownership for its business jets. Cessna accounts for about 23% of Textron's sales.

NEWS

BETHANY, Okla. -- Oklahoma's first Cessna Pilot Center became fully operational Monday when Bethany-based Oklahoma Aviation received its second aircraft.

The 2004 Cessna 172 Skyhawk gives Oklahoma Aviation the youngest fleet of training and rental aircraft in the state, President Tom Kilpatrick said Monday.

The company opened earlier this month, but the second aircraft allows it to better provide flight and ground instruction for those who want to become pilots, Kilpatrick said. Oklahoma Aviation also offers aircraft rental and pilot supplies for those who already have their pilot's licenses.

"We believe that in the first year we will fly approximately 1,500 flight hours with our students," Kilpatrick said. "That will break down as approximately 70 percent with student pilots and 30 percent with existing pilots who are just renting the airplanes."

Oklahoma is already home to numerous flight schools, but Kilpatrick said there is demand in the Sooner state for a Cessna-certified pilot center. All flight schools are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration, but Cessna Pilot Centers are also endorsed by aircraft manufacturer Cessna.

Nearly 300 such centers exist nationwide, but Oklahoma Aviation is the first Cessna Pilot Center in the state.

Terry Hunt, manager of aviation education at Oklahoma State University, said the demand for a new flight school signifies the recovery the general aviation industry has experienced in recent months. The state's demand requires a variety of different kinds of flight schools, he said.

"The thing to remember is the destination is the same," Hunt said. "Whether someone goes to a fixed-base operation or to a Cessna Pilot Center or to some place like Oklahoma State University where the private pilot certification is a stair step on the road to a higher certification like a commercial pilot license, the goal is to receive flight training."

Cessna-certified flight schools must go through a specific certification process and must use aircraft that are less than two years old.

The programs are then authorized to use the Cessna Computer Based Instruction Program, which reduces the amount of classroom training required, said Roger Sharp, Cessna Pilot Center's south-central regional manager. Cessna flight classes also generally require 10 to 30 fewer flight hours, he said.

Oklahoma Aviation partners invested nearly $ 400,000 into the business, including about $ 270,000 for the two Cessna aircraft, Kilpatrick said. The office was designed to feel more like a coffee shop than a flight center, he said.

"Our goal was to give our clients a peaceful and appealing setting in which to prepare for a flight -- one that is more 'living room' than 'airline terminal,'" he said. "Our customer experience includes great coffee and personal service, not X-rayed shoes and lost luggage."

The cost to earn a pilot's license varies widely based on the customer's desired certification level, but Sharp said the average cost at a Cessna center is about $ 5,500 to $ 6,500.